


I'm not afraid of flying!

by TheKidFromYesterday



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Miscommunication, Peter's got a whole lotta trauma, Platonic Cuddling, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, planes, purely accidental, there's also two separate nemo references??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 13:02:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22839433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheKidFromYesterday/pseuds/TheKidFromYesterday
Summary: Tony narrowed his eyes, faking annoyance. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. You can meet me here and we’ll head to the airport together, sound good?”But Peter froze. His face paled and he suddenly looked like he was going to be sick, the smile dropping.“What the hell—-Underoos?”Peter swallowed. “Airport?”Or:Peter's not scared of flying...but planes themselves are a different conversation
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 25
Kudos: 639
Collections: The Best Irondad/Spiderson Fics, The Best Peter Parker Whump Fics, ellie marvel fics - read





	I'm not afraid of flying!

**Author's Note:**

> what's UP yall I wrote this in my notes app on my phone at 3 am so sorry for grammatical errors!!! Enjoy!!

Peter showed up to the tower five minutes early, as he always did.

Tony, hunched over his workbench, looked up the second the elevator dinged, a smile already forming. 

The doors opened and Peter bounced out, all red cheeks and big smiles, looking all the world his age. There was a joy about him that had taken Tony weeks, almost months to recognize, it having been so long since he’d seen something so genuine. It was a fire in his eyes that never seemed to go out, no matter the circumstances. With his usually untied shoelaces and too big flannels he found at the thrift store that he threw over his awful t-shirts—Peter looked like a kid, not a superhero. 

Sometimes Tony forgot exactly how young he was. 

“Hey, Mr. Stark!” Peter grinned as he entered the workshop, his backpack already sailing to land perfectly on the couch to his right. He never missed. “Sorry I’m late—there was a dog outside, yeah? Tiny little guy. I swear I thought it was a cat. Anyway—“ 

Tony leaned back from his table, grinning as he listened to Peter’s retelling of the lost dog story and how he had befriended not one, but two street vendors. 

“The dogs been scamming them!” Peter laughed, throwing himself down on the stool beside Tony. “Playing hungry and then getting extra food from them!” 

“Damn, Smart dog.” Tony put in. 

“Wonder if I could do that.” Peter mused, his eyes suddenly squinting in concentration. “Maybe they’ll give me stuff.” 

“There’s a full kitchen upstairs if you’re hungry, kid. Always there. Hell, stop by for a snack if you need it while you’re out and about.” There was no end to the food Peter could eat. Tony wondered vaguely how he compared to other teenagers, considering his freaky DNA. He hadn’t really been around enough teenagers to tell how abnormal the amount of food Peter ate was. 

“No, no, I’m not hungry.” Peter grabbed one of the unsolved Rubik's cubes Tony kept on his bench, absently fiddling with it. “Well. Maybe I am a little. But there’s something really cool when people say thanks by giving me food. Like the churro lady! And the hot dog guy, and there was this one sandwich shop...” he trailed off, and Tony watched as he continued to play with the Rubik's cube, not even looking down at it as he thought. 

The kid was endless energy, personified. The only reason Tony knew that it wasn’t completely true, were the few instances he had witnessed for himself how hard Peter crashed. 

It was like he didn’t even take a break long enough to breathe and then he was passed out on a couch, curled around a pillow and dead to the world. Constant energy and then nothing, sleeping for the entire weekend. And then, Monday morning, he was right back at it. 

Tony shook his head at the thought, though still amused. 

“Anyway.” The Rubik's cube dropped down on Tony’s desk, solved. “What are we working on today? 

*****

The pair worked well together. Tony hadn’t ever had anyone so constant in his workshop before Peter showed up. Occasionally Pepper would bring her work down and visit for a few hours, but she always left with phone calls or meetings. Sometimes Rhodey would hang out, but he couldn’t stand Tony’s mess as much as Tony could.

Peter, on the other hand, had no meetings or phone calls to take because he was literally a child and he was—as Tony learned—nearly as messy as him. It had taken only a few weeks (not counting the ones in which Peter had been worried to put a pencil in the wrong place) before there were signs of the kid everywhere. 

Random homework, a book of plays Peter had been suffering through, a few socks that still had Tony mystified—he entered and left with the same number, where the hell were they coming from? Peter had adopted a few of Tony’s old MIT hoodies when he had forgotten his own and Tony had realized in a panic that “Spiders don’t thermoregulate, Pete! You’re gonna freeze!”. He claimed that Peter had stolen them, but something in his chest glowed with an emotion that seemed too big to fit when he saw the kid wearing them. 

_His kid_, his mind unhelpfully supplied, but Tony made sure to shove that awfully presumptuous title deep down. 

As it were, Peter had once again forgotten his own hoodie, or so he claimed. He had donned one of Tony’s instead because—and much to the kid’s chagrin—the workshop had to be kept on the cooler side. 

Hunched over his own workbench that had once served as extra space for Tony’s own projects, Peter fought down a yawn. He turned away from Tony just a little to hide it, pretending to be super engrossed in his work. 

Tony watched plainly, not missing Peter's unsubtle glance at his watch. As disappointed in the time as he was himself, he did regrettably have to be the adult.

“Alright, Pete.” Tony stood and stretched, pretending that he was done with his own project. “Time to wrap up, you think?” He knew from experience that if he tried to send Peter home without it looking like he was done, he was met with argument. And although that argument took the form of a slightly resentful look, Tony was not fond of that look in Peter’s eyes. 

Peter looked up, making a show of looking at his watch. “Wow, that late already.” 

Tony rolled his eyes, shoving the stool under his desk and heading for the door. “Come on, your aunt will have my head if you’re home after midnight again.” 

At that, Peter stood, raising his arms above his head to stretch. His shoulder popped loudly and Tony raised his eyebrows. 

“Jesus. What was that?” 

“Shoulder.” Peter grinned. “I sound like you.” 

Tony frowned, though there was no bite in it. “Don’t be a smartass.” 

Peter laughed, heading to the couch to grab his backpack. “I’ll see you Friday, yeah?” 

He said it like that hadn’t been their routine for the past few months. 

“Actually I’ll ride down with you, I want to talk to you about something.” Tony pressed the button on the elevator, not missing the way peters shoulders tensed. “Relax, you’re not in trouble.” 

Peter elbowed him in the side, but nonetheless relaxed. “What’s up?” 

“I’m heading to California on Saturday for the weekend. I’ll be there until late Sunday, I’m thinking.” The doors opened and they got in. “Fri, garage please.” The doors closed. 

“That’s fun.” Peter bounced on the balls of his feet, grinning. “Bring me something cool. Oh! Bring me a cactus.” 

Tony raised an eyebrow and the kid shrugged. “They’re cool.” 

“Okay.” Tony didn’t question it. “What if you got a cactus yourself?” 

Peter hesitated. “...is that an insult? Because if it is—“ he made a whoosh sound. “totally missed that one. How old is that? Do people actually say that—?” 

“No, Pete, I meant like,” Tony glanced over to gauge his reaction. “Like, do you want to come with me?” 

Peter's jaw dropped.

“I have a little place out there, not my mansion, though, and obviously money isn’t a problem.” Peter hadn’t answered besides staring at him in shock, and Tony was beginning to doubt himself. Was it weird? Oh god, it was definitely weird to ask this; they’d never even done a day trip out to Montauk before. But Peter had mentioned always wanting to go to California before! “I’d have a few meetings but we could explore a bit, check out the beach, go to Hollywood. All that touristy stuff.” 

The elevator dinged and the doors opened to the garage. Neither made a move to get out 

“Pete?” 

“You’re serious?” 

Tony laughed, albeit nervously. “Yeah, kid, if you want to go.” 

“I’ve always wanted to go to California.” 

“I know.”

“I want to see the beach over there.” 

Tony nodded, “So?”

Peter broke into a grin. “Yes!” Then paused. “I gotta ask May.” 

Relief rushed through Tony. He’d already gotten the OK from May two days ago; he wasn’t about to relive the verbal beating he’d gotten from when she found out about Germany. To be fair, he definitely shouldn’t have taken Peter to a battle like that, but that was beside the point. 

“Sounds good.” He smiled back at the young superhero, “Let me know what she says. If it’s a yes, we can probably leave Friday.” 

“Hold on.” Peter cocked his head to the side and lord above, he looked like a puppy. Tony resisted the urge to reach out and mess up his hair out of cuteness alone. “Friday is lab time. You‘re gonna wait to leave on a business trip until after lab time if I can’t go?” 

“I—“ Tony thought about denying it, despite it being the truth, but Peter looked so damn pleased with himself that he found he couldn’t. “Yeah. ‘Course. Can’t miss lab time, right?” 

Peter grinned, rocking back and forth from his heels to his toes. “Totally.”

Tony narrowed his eyes, faking annoyance. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. You can meet me here and we’ll head to the airport together, sound good?” 

But Peter froze. His face paled and he suddenly looked like he was going to be sick, the smile dropping. 

“What the hell—-Underoos?” 

Peter swallowed. “Airport?” 

“Yeah? What’d you think, we were going to walk across the country?” 

Peter shrugged weakly, looking far less excited than he had been only seconds before. He didn’t look Tony in the eyes. “I’ll um, I’ll ask May.” He said, though sounding thoroughly subdued. “I’ll text you.”

“Sounds good, kid.” Tony frowned as he watched the nervous twitching of the kid's hands, the way his eyes stayed glued to the floor. “You sure you’re okay?” 

Peter nodded, pulling himself together with a deep breath and a smile that looked rather half baked. “Yeah. Yeah. Thanks, Mr. Stark!” He shouldered his backpack, heading to the car parked outside. He climbed in without another look back, slamming the door shut with just a little more force than usual. 

Happy’s face appeared over the top of the car, his semi-permanent frown already in place. “When you say be down in 2, I expect you to be down in 2.” He griped. 

“Blame the kid.” Tony waited for a second to see if Peter would open the door and chime in to defend his honor, but there was no response. Odd. 

“Go to bed, Tony, you look half dead.” Happy rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, yeah, drive safe.” 

Happy didn’t answer, apart from a quick glance at the back of the car where Peter sat, and nodded, like he was satisfied. 

“Don’t give me that look.” Tony scoffed. “Drive safe for both of you.”

“Sure, ‘Mr. Stark’.” Happy smirked as he climbed into the car, not letting Tony get the last word in. 

Tony, well aware that he had only started saying that “drive safe” bullshit whenever Peter was in the car, was slightly peeved. Whatever. So he wanted the kid to be safe, sue him. That was nothing to be teased about. Though, Happy did seem to be laying it on with the “dad” jokes lately. Maybe Tony wasn’t as good at hiding those pesky paternal feelings after all. With one last roll of his eyes, Tony stomped back inside, fully intending to overthink well into the morning. 

***** 

Aunt Hottie  (1:58 am): you up? 

Tin Can (1:59 am): How forward of you, Ms. Parker ;) 

Tin Can (2:04 am): Hello? 

Aunt Hottie (2:04 am): you done? 

Tin Can (2:03 am): Yes I’m done. What can I do for you? 

_Incoming call from Aunt Hottie... Accepted._

“I could have been in bed.” Tony griped as he absently flipped through the holographic schematics of Peter’s latest suit programming. He trusted the kid in his programming abilities, but he liked to have another set of eyes on it, just in case.

“It’s 2 am, Stark. I’m guessing you haven’t even left your workshop.” 

Damn, she was good. “Touché. But whenever you need to be taken down a peg, please remember that despite our ups and downs, you know my sleep schedule.” 

“Only because it’s the same one that Peter adopts whenever he spends the night.” 

Tony knew he had lost. “Alright alright, you win. Now, what can I help you with? I’m assuming the hooligan isn’t in mortal danger, as we’ve been exchanging pleasantries.” 

May sighed from her end of the line. “Peter’s fine. I wanted to talk about this weekend, actually.” 

Goddamnit. She’d probably changed her mind. Disappointment swelled in his stomach for a second, and he didn’t even try to quell it. “Yeah?” 

“Peters actually kind of anxious about the whole thing.” May continued, and Tony held his breath. “I really want him to have fun with you, so just, I dunno, keep that in mind. 

Tony let out a little sigh of relief. “What, California? Tell him it’s just like New York but he doesn’t have to wear jackets all the time. He’ll love it.” 

“Actually,” May continued, “he’s worried about the trip itself. He’s never been on a plane before.” 

And oh. That thought hadn’t even crossed Tony’s mind. That explained the tension that had thrown off their goodbye, though. The image of Peter’s nervous, restless hands appeared in his mind. How had he not noticed that something really was off? Why had he been so quick to brush it off? 

“Tony?”

“Yeah, sorry, still here. Never?” 

“Never had any reason to.” 

Tony nodded, closing the hologram in front of him like it was taking away from the conversation. “Alright. So, what, he’s scared of flying? He practically does that every night he goes out, right? And he’s definitely hitched a ride with me a few times...” 

“It’s the plane itself.” May clarified, though something in her voice sounded stiff like she wasn’t telling him something. “He’s never really been a fan of them. Calls himself an ‘earth dwelling creature’.” 

At that, Tony laughed. He could imagine the look of distaste on his kid’s face when he said that—

_The_ kid. 

_The_ kid’s face. 

Momentarily thrown off by the mental mix up, he nearly missed May’s continuation of the conversation. “—-in mind, okay? He tends to spiral in new situations.” 

“Right.” Tony nodded. He knew that well enough. “Don’t worry May, he’ll be safe with me. Okay?” 

She sighed. “I stopped doubting that fact a while ago, Tony.” 

The words, though said in passing, had Tony floored. He sat for a moment, overwhelmed with the trust that May had in him, feeling his heart constrict slightly with emotion. “That’s...that’s really nice to hear, May.” He managed out. “Are you—“ he cleared his throat, trying to get around the briefly heartfelt moment before he began waxing poetic about his feelings. “Are you planning on dropping him off Friday? What time are you thinking?” 

Tony went to bed that night with May’s words cycling through his head until the early hours of the morning. 

***** 

Spider Kid (7:36 am): May said yes! :) 

Mr. Grumpy Gills  (7:41 am): Nice. Want to get to the tower at around 4 Friday? We can head out from there.

Spider Kid (7:41 am): sounds good! 

***** 

“—-don’t go to bed too too late, okay?” May was acting very much like a preschooler’s parent, fussing over everything before they left. To Peter’s credit though, he didn’t seem to mind all that much. “And if someone offers you candy—“ 

“Follow them to their van, yes I know.” 

May laughed and playfully shoved his face. “Funny guy.” 

Tony watched the pair of them, his heart aching. They were so easy with each other, in a way that he had never dared to be with his own parents. He was glad Peter had that in May. He hoped Peter had that in Tony, as well. 

“You guys all set?” May finally stopped fussing over Peter’s packing list. She looked reluctant to let them go, and Tony realized that she and Peter probably didn’t spend too much time apart. That, along with Peter’s tendency to get into danger on a fairly regular basis, probably landed a whole bunch of anxiety on May’s end. Tony made a mental note to send her to a spa at some point. 

“We’ve _been_ all set.” Peter muttered, then attempted to dodge the jab in the ribs that May aimed at him. “Ow!” 

Peter’s duffel bag sat beside Tony’s own suitcase. Old, faded, and looking far older than Peter was, it showed off a neatly stitched “B. P.” on the side. Assuming it had belonged to one Ben Parker, Tony kept his mouth shut about the state of the bag. 

“Tony?”

“Hm?” He looked up to find May watching him, her eyebrows raised. 

“Please keep my kid alive this weekend.” It was said jokingly, but there was something behind her eyes, something serious that Tony took as such. 

“Keep him from swimming too deep, hold his hand when he crosses the street, got it.” He grinned at Peter’s eye roll and nodded to May. “I got him. Don’t worry.” 

She nodded, looking him up and down like she was searching for a reason not to trust him. Evidently, she found nothing and instead turned her attention to Peter. Tony grabbed their bags to give them some privacy and turned towards the elevator. His phone chimed. 

Happy Meal (4:16 pm): you said 4. 

Boss Man (4:16 pm): on our way down ;) 

He turned, raising his eyebrows at Peter. “You ready to head out, kid?” 

Peter nodded, hugging his aunt one more time. “You sure you’ll be okay?” 

She waved him off. “Pshh. Come on. Peppers taking me out to dinner tonight, I’ll be fine.” 

Peter nodded distractedly, but offered her a tight smile and started towards Tony. 

“Pep will be here in about 20.” Tony called, pressing the button for the elevator. “Make yourself comfortable, don’t uh,” he cleared his throat, not wanting to be rude. “Don’t cook anything.” 

May glared at him and Peter choked, then quickly backed into the elevator to avoid getting in trouble. “Bye May! I’ll call you when we land!” 

*****

Peter was quiet on the whole ride to the jet, but seemingly more fidgety than usual. He couldn’t keep still, but killed any sort of conversation Tony tried to start. Tony was beginning to think this nervousness about planes was a little bigger than he had initially thought. 

When they finally pulled up to the airstrip and the plane came into view, Peter sucked in a deep breath, his hands gripping the seat by his knees. 

“Pete?” Tony asked carefully. “You good?” 

Peter nodded, still warily watching the offending mode of transportation. “Mhm.” He didn’t move until Tony reached over and unbuckled his seatbelt for him. Even then, he took his time getting out of the car. 

“What’s wrong with the kid?” Happy pulled the bags out of the trunk as Tony came around the back of the car, still waiting for Peter to exit. 

“Dunno.” He watched the door, waiting. “He doesn’t like planes.” 

Happy snorted. “If I had been on the last one he was on,” he said, “I wouldn’t be too fond of them either.” He grabbed the bags and started to head towards the plane. 

“What?” Tony followed. “Hap, what—“ 

The car door opened and Happy kept walking, forcing Tony to head back and make sure Peter was alright. Desperately, he wracked his brain for a plane that Peter had apparently been on. 

The kid in question got out of the car slowly, his head down, but evidently calmer than he had been before. 

“You okay?” Tony leaned down to make eye contact. “You look kinda sick.”

“M’fine.” Peter plastered on a smile that looked painful to wear. “Let's go. Don’t wanna be late for California, right?” He turned without waiting for Tony to answer, heading after Happy. 

Tony followed warily after him, trying to shove down the fear that he was genuinely and truly in charge of this kid’s safety and well-being for a whole weekend. He had no idea what he was doing, in all honesty, but he was in too deep to turn back now.

*****

Tony hadn’t been on his jet in a while. 

It had been a kind of escape when he was younger. Something big happening in New York? Tony would fly to California for the hell of it. He had taken Pepper anywhere she had wanted, had let Happy use it when he needed to visit family somewhere—-it was a fucking family jet at this point, but Tony didn’t mind. 

Since he had set up permanently in New York, what with being engaged and running a company and, oh yeah, being New York’s superhero, he had used the jet less and less. Truthfully, he had found that he was, for the first time in his life, happy where he was. And Peter being based in New York did help with that, though Tony was less than likely to admit that. 

As it were, showing Peter his private jet for the first time was exciting, though he had hoped it would have been for something more fun. Maybe he’d take him and May to Disney sometime. 

As they stepped onto the plane and Tony smiled at the familiarity, Peter seemed to have an opposite reaction. 

“It’s so small.” 

Tony frowned. “It’s a god damn private jet. It’s only us.” 

“Yeah, but I always figured it’d be bigger inside. Like, airplanes are big, you know?” He looked nervous, but not panicked, so Tony took that as a good sign. 

“Yeah, well, if I were flying a whole bunch of people, it’d be bigger.” He shrugged. “But seeing as it’s just you and I?” 

Peter nodded, distracted, as he leaned a bit to peek out the windows. “How longs the flight?” 

“Few hours.” Tony clapped him on the back. “Come on, look around. Choose your seat.” 

Tony took his usual spot, more of a couch than a seat, but he usually had Pepper with him, so the seat beside him stayed empty…

…For about two seconds, as the moment he sat down, Peter chose the seat literally connected to Tony’s, despite there being an entire plane’s worth of seats to choose from. Tony smiled, secretly pleased, but didn’t say anything in fear it would only embarrass the kid. 

He was already tense, his hands gripping tight on his knees and his posture better than Tony had ever seen on him. 

“We’ll take off in a bit, okay?” Tony tried his best to distract. “And hey, we have movies on here, you want to watch something?” 

“Nemo.” Was the direct response. 

“Uh.” Tony fought back a laugh. “Okay?” 

He started the movie, acting more relaxed than usual to try to calm Peter's nerves. A part of him wished he had brought May along, just for backup in case Peter really freaked out. At the moment, he was sitting silently, watching the beginning of Nemo and not so subtly leaning into Tony’s side. What if bringing him had been a mistake? Peter had always wanted to go to California, but Tony was helplessly wondering if suffering through a road trip to get there would have been smarter. 

When the sound of the engines starting had Peter suddenly jolting in his seat, Tony began to more fully doubt the idea of bringing him. 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, we’re all good buddy.” Tony pressed his shoulder against Peters. “Look, we’ll start moving, kind of like a big bus down the strip, right?” 

He waited for Peter's shaky nod. 

“Yeah? Just driving. And then, when we get to a good speed, we’ll start lifting off.” 

“Into the air.” Peter managed out. 

“Yeah, buddy, that’s right.” Tony watched him warily. “You sure you’re cool with this, Underoos? We can always postpone the trip—“

“I’m good.” Peter gritted out, pulling in a deep breath, his eyes not leaving the little screen in front of him. The little fish family was so happy together. Tony hadn’t ever gotten around to seeing the movie, but he figured it was a nice, distracting thing to watch. 

“Okay.” Tony pretended to focus on the screen as well, though he kept a close eye on Peter. “Just let me know if—holy shit.” He watched with wide eyes as the giant, mean-looking fish appeared in front of the little fish house. “Fuck, that’s a scary looking fish.” 

Peter glanced at him, surprised. “Have you not seen this?” 

“I’m not 8.” Tony said, a little defensively. “So no.”

“Ah.” Peter turned back to the screen. “Watch this bit.” 

Tony let out a little breath of relief, seeing that Peter seemed to be thoroughly distracted by the movie. They started taxiing down the runway and Tony was thinking that maybe he had been worried for nothing. 

“See, it’s—-fuck!” 

The clownfish dove and the scary fish snapped and holy fuck. 

Tony stared at the screen with wide eyes, then turned to Peter. “What the hell, kid.” 

Peter shrugged. “I know right.” 

Tony watched in horror as the dad fish woke up to find his wife and most of the eggs gone. 

“It’s—-“ Peter cut himself off and Tony has to rip his eyes away from the very sad scene to once again find panic in Peter's eyes. “Tony—-“ he sat pressed against his seat, one hand having moved from his knees to flail around near Tony until Tony grabbed it. 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay buddy, it’s okay.” Tony has forgotten how rough plane takeoffs could be. “We’re okay— do you wanna look out the window?” 

He was met with a firm shake of a head.

“Okay...uh, breathe kid, it’s just a little shaky.” Tony’s own anxiety was ramping up as he found himself helpless. What had he been thinking, he knew the kid didn’t love planes! “Calm down, buddy, planes just do this.” 

“I know.” Peter gasped out, and finally, the shaking was stopping, but the steady incline seemed to cause nearly as much anxiety. “I don’t like how they move.” 

“Yeah, I know.” Tony held tight to the hand in his, hesitantly reaching the other over to comb through Peter’s hair. “First time on a plane can be scary—“ 

“I’ve been on a plane before, Tony!” 

At first, there was nothing. Then, a realization. 

Oh. 

_Oh._

“Toomes.” He whispered, horror dawning. 

Peter nodded, his eyes squeezed shut and his grip on Tony’s hand tightening. 

“Oh god. Ohhhh god, kid, I’m so sorry, I forgot, how could I forget?” Tony felt awful, and the fear on peters face only made it worse. The movie still played in the background, far too loud for Tony’s liking but he couldn’t be bothered to turn it off. “It’s okay, kid, shhh it’s okay. I got you. We’re safe, okay? We’re safe.” 

He held Peter as close to himself as the seat would allow, guilt swallowing him whole as Peter shook in his arms. 

***** 

Peter fell asleep about an hour in, after he had exhausted himself through something that verged on a panic attack. He had clung to Tony like a koala, wrinkling the front of his shirt and nearly breaking the bones in his hand. 

Tony didn’t mind. 

He felt awful about even asking the kid if he wanted to go with him. He’d somehow forgotten about Toomes, a man who had been his problem that he had ignored and subsequently put Peter in danger over. Though Peter rarely talked about the whole incident, Tony knew that it had been rough for him. He’d crashed a goddamn plane into a beach, nearly killing both himself and his homecoming date’s dad. On top of that, the injuries that had taken weeks to heal due to the level of trauma, the fact that the man had tried to kill him, and that Peter had ended up literally walking through fire to save the man's life. 

That was enough to fuel nightmares for the rest of his life. 

Tony looked fondly, and a little bit guiltily down at where Peter slept. He had reclined the seat enough so that they were comfortable, which had seemed to put Peter right to sleep. He lay with his arms around Tony’s middle, his legs tucked up on the seat, and his head on Tony’s shoulder. It was sweet. The kid was cute. 

Tony just wished he hadn’t had to put the kid through that much trauma to appreciate it. 

Carefully, so as not to disturb the kid, Tony pulled out his phone, texting with one hand. 

Tin Can  (6:12 pm): Spider boy does not like planes. 

Aunt Hottie (6:12 pm): told you 

Aunt Hottie (6:13 pm): is he okay? 

Tin Can (6:14 pm): we watched the beginning of a movie, took off, and it took an hour to calm him down. he’s sleeping now 

Aunt Hottie (6:13 pm): sounds about right. Did he talk about his parents? 

Tony frowned. His parents? No, he’d say they were a little busy for any kind of conversation. 

Tin Can (6:15 pm): no? 

Aunt Hottie (6:16 pm): oh. I thought he would.

Aunt Hottie  (6:17 pm): they died in a plane crash when he was 6 

Tony nearly dropped his phone. How could he have not known that? Sick with guilt, he looked down at the sleeping kid on his shoulder, suddenly feeling like the biggest jerk in the world for a) not knowing and b) for putting him on a plane in the first place.

He knew he’d been nervous. He held Peter a little tighter, and before he was able to talk himself out of it, pressed a kiss to the top of his head. 

Tin Can  (6:19 pm): I didn’t know

Aunt Hottie (6:19 pm): not your fault, he doesn’t like to talk about it. I don’t think he wanted you to know. Did you watch Nemo?

Tin Can (6:20 pm): yes? 

Aunt Hottie (6:20 pm): comfort movie. he watched it every day for a year after his parents died. 

Tony was quietly horrified. That movie? The one where the mom is killed and—from what he had seen in snippets while trying to calm Peter down—the kid gets taken away from his dad? He shook his head. He never claimed to understand kids. 

Tin Can (6:22 pm): I’m sorry for bringing him 

It was all he could think to say. The traumatized, worn-out kid beside him had trusted him and he had shoved him towards what turned out to be a genuine fear. Granted, Peter had definitely been excited about it, but Tony wondered if he regretted it now. 

Aunt Hottie  (6:22 pm): don’t feel bad, if you hadn’t taken him he never would have gone. He’s turned down any other chances we’ve gotten to go out there. 

Aunt Hottie (6:23 pm): he trusts you Tony Stark 

Aunt Hottie (6:23 pm): don’t mess that up 

Tony smiled weakly, though he feared he’d already done so. He was about to respond when Peter stirred beside him and the conversation was forgotten about. 

“Underoos?” 

Peter blinked up at him, surprised to find himself tucked into Tony’s side, but not making any move to leave. 

“Hey. Good morning. How’re you feeling?” Tony asked nervously, awaiting another panic attack. 

Peter frowned up at him, then glanced around the cabin. “Oh.” 

“Yeah, still flying kid. How’re you feeling? You want something to drink? Eat? We’re fully stocked up here.” Tony knew he was rambling, but he almost couldn’t stop himself. 

“‘M’okay.” Peter mumbled. He was calmer now, though he still looked uncomfortable, and he didn’t look to deathly pale. “Sorry I freaked out.” 

Tony waved him off. “I’m sorry I took you on a plane.” He searched the kid's eyes for resentment. “We’ll road trip next time, yeah?” 

“Next time?” 

“Well, if we like California maybe we can bring May out there.” Tony shrugged like it was no big deal, but the hopeful look on Peter's face made him break into a smile. They sat beside each other for a moment, Peter more calm than he’d been since they took off. 

Tony was the one who broke it. “May told me about your parents.” 

Peter, much to Tony’s surprise, just nodded. “I figured she would. Sorry I didn’t mention it before.” 

“Hey, you don’t need to apologize.” Tony was firm, “You’ve got enough trauma for a lifetime, buddy, no need to bring more up to the surface.” He sighed, squeezing Peter’s shoulder in apology. “Listen, I should be the one apologizing. I knew you were hesitant and I didn’t even _offer_ to like, I dunno, drive out there instead.”

“You’d drive across the country to get me to California?” Peter almost smiled. 

“Yes.” Tony said fiercely, and Peter’s eyes widened slightly at the sincerity. “I would. Why did…why did you say yes to going?”

He had to know. 

May had made it seem like there had been opportunities to fly over before and that Peter had turned them down. Why now? 

But Peter just shrugged. He was calmer now than before. He sat comfortably in Tony’s arms, though he kept his gaze firmly away from the windows. 

“I trust you.” He said simply. “I know I won’t get hurt—“ he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, oblivious to Tony’s stunned reaction to the words. “—you know, despite what you just saw.” He shifted to look up at Tony, a smile on his face that made something in Tony’s heart glow. “I know I’m safe with you.”

The urge to—smile? Cry? Something. 

It was overwhelming, and Tony found himself pulling the kid into a hug that definitely couldn’t have been comfortable, but Peter clung on, just the same. 

“You’re always safe with me, bud.” Tony mumbled out, sure that Peter could hear how fast his heart was pounding. “Always.”

Peter laughed, muffled from where he was pressed against Tony’s side. “I know.” 

*****

Tin Can  ( 7:01 pm): I’ve decided I want to adopt your kid

Aunt Hottie  (7:02 pm): Hmmm no can do Stark 

Aunt Hottie (7:03 pm): He is pretty great though, isn’t he?

Tin Can (7:03 pm): the best. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! Leave a comment!! Say hello! Have a good day!!


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